Post #99 Nieuwe Haring

Leading up to tomorrow's post, which will be #100 and September Theme Day! Thanks to all who've visited and left comments!


Now, for the picture. If you haven't been to The Netherlands you might not be aware of nieuwe haring ("new herring") ...
1. Take one fresh herring, quickly cleaned and doused with chopped raw onions
2. Stab it with the small pick (provided)
3. Tilt your head back
4. Let it slide down your throat (chewing optional)
5. Look satisfied, either because you like the taste or just because you were brave enough to try it.

Since this herring eater was already being photographed at close quarters by his friend, I was able to catch him in the act. It's not always easy to get candid pictures of this very Dutch tradition. I hope one year to be able to get some shots at the annual haring festival (Vlaggetjesdag, held in nearby Scheveningen).

Here are some other pics from the haring stand at the Antique Fair in The Hague.

What the...?

Spotted in a shop window in The Hague. What could it be ... a toy shop, a hat store?

The answer is here.

Yeah Yeah Yeah

I don't know what it was about this installation of Den Haag Sculptur that caught my eye. I have to say I didn't notice it on our previous visits to this area of The Hague. Perhaps it was the bright colors on a sunny day.

In any event, I found some information on the artist, Jon Campbell, from a previous exhibition in New Zealand. From the website, "The yeah flag, literally a flag emblazoned with the word ‘yeah’ in hot pink, was championed by A Constructed World through an online petition to be the new Australian flag. " I wonder what the Aussies think of this...

Here's a wider shot of the banners as they appear in the exhibition.

Urban Renewed (and renewed and...)

Although stepped gables are common in many cities in The Netherlands, there aren't very many examples left in The Hague. This one is the Pageshuis, built in 1625. It is associated with the Kloosterkerk (monastery church), which after the reformation was used as a stable and cannon foundry. It was then used to house the pages that worked for the House of Orange (hence the building's current name). Later it was used by the Netherlands Red Cross. Today it houses private offices.

For the dutch readers, here is the historical plaque (click to enlarge):

Not easy seeing green...

The rose-ringed parakeet (halsbandparkiet in dutch) is an "accidental" species ... they live wild in Africa but the feral birds that live here escaped from captivity. As you can see, they can be very difficult to spot when they are sitting in trees, but their screechy "keeek keeek" is unmistakable. This bird was happily eating away in the palace park in The Hague.

Old Wall

Part of the old Valkenburg town wall, now incorporated into the town center.

You can see the sign for an ice cream parlor on the right. Incidentally, there was a funny story about the Dutch ice cream habits published recently (click here to read).

Hilltop Ruins

Back to Valkenburg...the ruins of the old castle sit high on a hill. That's right, I did say hill; the southern part of the Netherlands, sandwiched inbetween Germany and Belgium, can be quite hilly.

From the Valkenburg tourism website: "High up on Heunsberg hill, right in the middle of Valkenburg, lies the only hilltop fortress the Netherlands landscape boasts. The castle ruins constitute one of the many proofs of the rich and buzzing past of our town. A tangible past that goes back as far as the Middle Ages."

Musical Onions?

To open the Wassenaar kermis (fair), these guys entertained the crowd waiting for the lantern parade to begin, then led the families in the march to the fair ground. They had a great sound and were very entertaining.

Curiously, the name of their group is "De Zwiebels." Zwiebel is the german word for onion ... although my dutch is limited I'm not aware of it being used in the dutch language. Maybe it's a joke, or my translation skills might be off. But they're definitely dutch ... check out the shoes!!!

We're back ... with an escort!!

Before we left on holiday, the kermis (carnival/festival) started in Wassenaar. Due to our travels, all we got to see was the "lantern parade" that kicked off the fair. Led by the local police, the parade of local families marched right by our house to the fair grounds, where a fireworks display followed. Unfortunately we were home packing; hopefully we'll get to experience more of the fair next year.

Another American in The Netherlands...

Off my soapbox and back down to the falconry demonstration in Valkenburg. This beautiful american red tail hawk was a crowd pleaser. The handler set him down on the fence right in front of the onlookers. Something about that gaze is a little unsettling!

We're taking a short break but will try to post if we have internet access.